You have a location, from a city to a planet, and loads of interesting things happen all the time!
The only problem is, nobody knows about anything that happens. People go about their day to
day while blood thirsty killers ravage the streets, or space shuttles land in the town square.
It's high time to invest in a news source!
Be it casted on a television or crystal ball, cried from a tower or delivered by pigeons,
the news is a beneficial resource. Starting up a news source is very simple.
What you'll need before you start!
- In Character activity
- Enthusiasm!
STEP ONE: NAME YOUR NEWS SOURCE
Alright! Now that you're set, start brainstorming about what to name your Cast! TERRACAST was easy, however with some planets like Ellesmere, who have elegant names, you can't just tack CAST on the end and call it a day. Think: ABC7:Eyewitness News. Catchy!
This will be the name of the bundle you will eventually create, which will in essence be the news.
STEP TWO: SET UP AN OUT OF CHARACTER THREAD.
You've defined your news source, awesome! Set up an Out of Character thread.
The goal of the Out of Character thread is thus:
- To inform the public on what your news source is, where it pertains to, and why it exists
- To direct the public (via link) to the news
- To provide instructions / guidelines on how to properly report on the news
- To provide a location for players to submit posts to be added to the bundle, or aired
That's literally it! Players will inform themselves and immediately be prompted to join in on the fun.
Have fun with graphics, people like to participate in things that have spiffy aesthetics, but don't rely on them.
Keep in mind, some people don't want to load that crap, and many people appreciate a well written intro.
STEP THREE: START THE NEWS
How did we get here already? See, I told you it was simple.
First, you must grab your character and go into character.
Next, find an event in the location that your news source concerns.
This can be anything from a car bomb, to a celebrity marriage. The main thing is that the event already happened in-character, or is being played out as you report.
Keep in mind these basic guidelines:
- No Metagaming allowed.
- Nothing from the Out of Character chat (without backing IC activity)
- No rumors, meaning all news posts must be able to be linked to a post by another character
- Don't take out your personal OOC grudges
Now, it is time to
STEP 4: WRITE THE NEWS
This post will set the tone for the news source, so make it a good one!
When writing (or speaking, as you will be in character) the news, have your character speculate
on activities that are happening, or have happened, and tell the reader what's going on.
BREAKING NEWS is encouraged, but should not be abused:
It's considered bad practice for a journalist to be responsible for the event on which they are reporting.
This is to prevent megalomaniacal "look at how powerful my character is" posts. The same player is allowed to
both report and participate, but the characters must be separate. In the case of BREAKING NEWS, reporters are
encouraged to react to a story as it develops. If your character is a broadcaster of some variety, be they a town
crier or a talking head (in the figurative sense), they will not swear if they think they're on-air. Mistakes do happen,
but they are the exception instead of the rule due to the monetary and disciplinary penalties attached to letting one slip.
STEP 5: BUNDLE THE NEWS!
But Lost! How do I use this newfangled bundle system?
You...
- Go to the post you wish to bundle!
- Click ADD TO BUNDLE
- Create a bundle!
- NAME THE BUNDLE / NEWS SOURCE
- CREATE THE BUNDLE!
- LINK TO THE BUNDLE IN THE THREAD
- LOOK AT THE BUNDLE
- READ THE BUNDLE
- CONTINUE STEPS 1-2 FOR ALL FUTURE SUBMISSIONS
THE FINAL STEP
Persistently advertise your news source, and encourage others to participate!